Darkening Moon
by Jimmy the Gothic Egg
Summary: [Completed]She swore her heart skipped a beat when he said those words. Was it fear? Panic? It was like he was asking her on a... date. MitsuruMahiru and AkiraKeiko. Previously Tears From the Moon
1. Chapter 1

**Note**: Happens after Akira and Mitsuru run away and Mahiru moves out. I know how #4 ended, but this is a fanfic, sue me. (Please don't actually sue me. The only good lawyer I know is my cat, and he lost out last case.) I'm not completely sure about a few things, so if there are mistakes, tell me. I would happy to fix them.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Crescent Moon.

_Chapter 1_

Mahiru walked the busy streets feeling sad and alone. So she was no longer a trustworthy princess. This didn't bother her as much as the fact that Mitsuru and Akira were gone. Akira could brighten her no matter how down she felt and Mitsuru… She shook her head, ignoring the images running through her brain. The streets were thinning and only a few people were now walking beside her. Then, she stopped. Only a few yards away was Mitsuru. Fighting the urge to run up and greet him, she quickened her pace and hoped he would notice her. Of course, he would ignore her, but she didn't care. So she stomped up to him and looked him straight in the eye.

"Where have you been?" she asked firmly.

Mitsuru turned to her in surprise. His expression quickly turned to a scowl. "What do you care? Need help getting those teardrops? Can't you just ask your human friend? After all, you care more about her than any of us."

The urge to slap him rose (A/N: he he, pandas), but she pushed it down. "I do not care about Keiko more than I care about any of you. She is a friend. I just don't want a war between the Lunar and the human race."

He gazed at her coldly then leaned against a traffic sign and seemed to be thinking carefully. "So where do you want to go?"

Mahiru nearly fell backwards. "What?"

"I'm not ready to go back-" _Of course he isn't_, Mahiru thought, _he's too stubborn to_- "and I heard you moved out, so you're not going to take me back. If I'm going to trust you- if I _can_ trust you- I'll need to get to know you. So where do you wanna go?"

She swore her heart skipped a beat when he said those words. Was it fear? Panic? It was like he was asking her on a… date. _Wrong!_ She shouted to herself. _Not a date! He just wants to get to know me…_ She wasn't helping herself at all.

"Well?" he said in an irritated voice, "You wanna do something?"

She nodded. They'd walked through the streets before. _But Akira is usually with us…_ Shaking her head again, she realized he'd started without her. She ran to catch up.

Mitsuru didn't say a word as they strolled along. His head was bent forward like he was thinking heavily on something. His normal cold eyes seemed to fill with something else. He noticed Mahiru gazing at him and glared, snapping her back into reality. They came to a street corner when she saw a sight that made her eyes brighten. Akira was coming their way! It was amazing how, without even trying, she had managed to find the two missing members of their group.

Akira saw her immediately, and she watched in mild horror as he came bounding towards her with ears and a tail. Mitsuru didn't see his presence until her wrapped him in a giant hug. Snarling, he tried to pull away, but only the fat that Mahiru hadn't gotten her share pulled them apart.

"You might want to put those away," she whispered, motioning to the ears. In moments they were gone, and she raised her voice. "Where've you been?"

He feigned hurt feelings and said, "Out for a walk."

Mitsuru continued walking without them and was a good couple yards away. He glanced back, a bit envious that Akira was getting more warmth than he hand, and of Akira's ability to make Mahiru smile. _I barely like her and suddenly I want to make her smile? I must be going nuts._ Suddenly, Mahiru grabbed his arm and yanked him back to where they were now standing.

"What?" he growled.

Mahiru frowned. Hadn't he just been nice enough to get to know her a moment ago? "Akira wants to take us someplace. Come with us!"

Even if he had been able to protest, they dragged him through the streets with Akira leading the way. They stopped in front of a restaurant. In big letters it read, 'KARAOKE.'

"You go to other places besides the moonshine?" Mahiru asked.

"Yeah, but not often." He thrust open the door dramatically. "You guys grab a seat. The list for karaoke an get kind of long, so I'm gonna put my name on it."

Mitsuru looked around in disinterest. Mahiru shook her head at him and yanked him to a booth and forced him to sit. It must not have been that long of a wait, because Akira suddenly appeared on the stage, and soft music started playing.

"I know I ask you this a lot," Mahiru said, her eyes on Akira, "But why don't you sing?"

Mitsuru scowled. "Why do you care?"

"'Cause," she tugged on her sleeve absentmindedly and shrugged, "Y-you're my f-friend. I wanna hear you…"

His frown curved up, but it looked more like a sneer than an actual smile. He leaned close to her until their faces were only inches apart. She felt her heartbeat speed up and a blush creep onto her face. Then, he stuck his tongue out at her and said, "I'm not going to sing for you."

Anger quickly rose up inside of her but quickly subsided. Her cheeks were still pink though and growing redder. What had she thought he was going to do? _Kiss me?_ Her mind was screaming. _Wrong though! Wrong thought!_

"B-but you admit it," she stuttered, "You sing."

Akira appeared beside them. He had a bright smile on his face, his ears sticking out, but thankfully not his tail.

"Didya hear me sing?" He slid in next to Mahiru.

"Of course," she laughed, her nervousness instantly forgotten, "You were great."

Suddenly, Mitsuru jumped up and practically ran out. Mahiru and Akira looked at each other in confusion but followed close behind.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

"Where are you going?" Mahiru shouted after Mitsuru. She glanced around. _Great, I lost Akira too._

"None of your business!" he yelled back.

She lunged for his arm. Missing, she ended up running into his back, knocking him to the ground and landing on top of him. _Well, at least I slowed him down._

"Tell me," she said firmly, "Or I'll sick Akira on you."

His brow furrowed at the thought of Akira's giant hugs. They always seemed especially saved for the despondent tengu.

"No," he pushed her off, "I can go wherever I damn well please."

"If you don't tell me, I'll just follow you."

He grumbled something. "Where do you think I'm going?"

She shrugged. "Where do you stay when you're not at the Moonshine?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"If you're not going anywhere important, can you take me somewhere?"

"I'm not your personal helicopter!"

"Please?"

_Damn those eyes._ Mitsuru paused at the thought. _What the hell?_

"Please?"

"Fine," he sighed. Walking to a corner where no one could see them he wrapped his arms around her waist. For the first time, Mahiru realized she felt protected in his grip. _Wrong. Wrong._ But as the wind whirled around them incredibly fast, she couldn't help but clutch him tighter.

Mitsuru noticed her normally tight grip was a bit tighter. He was annoyed at first, but let it go as they flew higher. She pointed to an empty street and whispered, "Over there." No matter how scared she said she wasn't, she was still scared. He set her down and looked around.

"So where are we?" he asked, sticking his hands in his pocket. The place looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

"About a block from my aunt's house." Mahiru grabbed his arm- _how often does she do that_, he vaguely wondered- and pulled him along. With one sharp movement he freed his arm and hung back.

"I'm leaving," Mitsuru stated and started walking away.

Mahiru's blue eyes went wide. Why did she care so much about keeping Mitsuru around? Shaking the thought from her head, she made another tackle for his arm and caught it neatly this time.

_Damn, she has a strong grip._ He tried to pull away again, but this caused them to both go off balance and fall into a nearby bush. Mahiru blushed deeply and made a move to get off of the irritated tengu when she got a good look at his face.

Mitsuru's face was replaced with the one from her dream about the demon and the princess. He had become the demon in her eyes. In Mitsuru's perspective, Mahiru had become the princess, though he didn't realize it was the one from the song. They stared at each other in silence for a moment, and the image faded. They were back to normal.

"What the hell was that?" Mitsuru whispered, though he did not sound that angry. He tried to stand up when he realized Mahiru was still on top of him. Unfortunately, Mahiru had not come to this realization.

"You-I-What just…" Mahiru couldn't get the words out.

"Could you get off me? _Now._"

She stumbled back, a blush creeping onto her face. "Sorry. That was just…" _His eyes didn't change._

"Whatever," was the tengu's witty answer. He brushed a leaf from his aqua hair.

Mahiru sighed and stood. "Here," she said and without thinking ran a hand through his hair, detangling the leaves.

Mitsuru was shocked for a moment, then angrily pulled away. "Don't-"

She giggled and reached for his hair again. "Come here. You still got some right there…"

He backed away from her. "I don't-"

She wouldn't let him finish. "But you need someone to comb those out. Come on."

He could go no further as he had backed into a tree. Mahiru attacked him, sending him down to the ground. The third time that day. (A/N: say 'the third time that day' five times fast.) She was strong for what looked like a skinny shrimp. Grumbling something vulgar, he let her run a comb that she magically pulled from her pocket through his hair.

"There," she said satisfied. She let him stand and asked, "Where do you sleep if not the Moonshine?"

Mitsuru ignored the hand she offered him. "Why should I tell you?"

Mahiru placed her hands on her hips, and he couldn't help but note how cute she was. That sent a shudder running through him. _What's wrong with me?_

"Fine, see if I care."

He arched a brow.

"Fine, I care. Will you please tell me so I don't worry?"

_She worries about me?_ That was a shocker. Feeling slightly defeated, he slumped against the tree that had held him back earlier. "Nowhere permanent."

"Meaning…" she pushed on.

"Meaning I don't have a frigging place to stay!" he shouted.

Mahiru stumbled back. "Then…" Her mind whirred to figure this one out. "Then you could stay a night at my house!"

Well this was a no-brainer. "No."

She pouted, crossing her arms. "Why not?"

"'Cause I don't want your charity."

"It's not charity. I'm offering a place to sleep. Or would you rather go back to the Moonshine?"

She had a point. "Fine, but only _one_ night."

Smiling to herself, Mahiru led Mitsuru to her aunt's place.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

Mitsuru was slumped against a wall, his knees apart, as he played with his scarf. Mahiru entered the room with two mugs of hot chocolate. She handed him one and sat down next to him.

"It's not poisoned," she said when she noticed his distasteful glance.

He muttered something that she couldn't quite make out and took a sip. For a moment, his expression changed to- was it pleasure- then returned to its normal scowl.

"Like it?" she asked, hoping to get something out of him.

"Whatever," he mumbled.

Sighing, Mahiru changed the subject. "I don't know where my aunt is. Probably out to get some groceries. I think we have a guest room, unless you want to sleep on the couch…"

She stopped and turned to face Mitsuru. He was leaning against her, his eyes closed. His mouth shaped a small o. He was asleep. She studied his features for a moment. He looked less agitated while he slept; not exactly happy. Calm. Content. His normally furrowed brow was smooth. Smiling, she rested her head on top of his and closed her eyes, only for a second…

Akira had been following Mitsuru and Mahiru… until he saw something much more interesting. Deciding that Mahiru could handle Mitsuru, he followed what he was sure to be the crying form of Keiko. She was running away from something, and, as he found himself drawn to her, Akira followed. Just to make sure she was okay.

He couldn't prepare himself for the drama about to unfold.

◦◦◦

Mitsuru and Mahiru both jolted up at the sound of the door slamming. Mahiru glanced at the clock and realized her one second of sleep had turned to one hour.

"Mahiru?" called a voice, "Are you home?"

Mitsuru was still groggy from the short nap he had gotten. Rubbing his eyes, he asked, "That your aunt?"

Mahiru nodded and stood. "I'm in here, Auntie," she shouted. (A/N: Does her aunt have a name? I don't know, so it'll be Auntie or Miss Shiraishi until I find out.)

A blonde-haired woman poked her head in. (A/N: So I don't know what color her hair is. Get over it.) "There you are. I brought some dinner if you're hungry."

Mitsuru stood, and Miss Shiraishi raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, Auntie. This is Mitsuru. He works at the Moonshine. He needed a place to stay, so I offered him a room, if that's okay with you."

Miss Shiraishi smiled. "Of course. There's plenty of food."

Mitsuru gave a disgruntled grunt but followed. Though he had to admit, Mahiru's aunt was a pretty good cook.

◦◦◦

Akira stood behind the crying girl for a moment. He didn't know what to say.

"K-Keiko?" he whispered hoarsely.

Keiko Himura whipped around. "Oh," she said, "It's you." It didn't sound hateful. Disappointed, probably, but not hateful.

"What's wrong, Keiko?" He stepped up to her as she turned back around.

"Nothing. I just… got in a fight with Hokuto." She leaned over the railing, her long hair escaping past her shoulder. Absentmindedly, Akira brushed it back. She tensed at his touch but loosened quickly. "He wants to break off the engagement." Keiko shuddered, but it wasn't because of the cold.

"Oh," Akira said lamely, "Are you…"

"I was beginning to think…" She shook her head. "Never mind. Where are your," she paused like she had to think about it, "friends?"

"I… I'm taking a small break from them." Now that the words were out, he realized it was true. He needed a break from being the goofy, hyperactive member of the Moonlight Bandits.

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"Not…entirely."

Keiko glanced around. "I… I have an extra room, if you want…"

Akira tried to hide his sudden joy. "Um, if you don't mind…"

She smiled to herself before leading the way.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

Mahiru's aunt was feeling tired after dinner, so she left Mitsuru and Mahiru alone. Mahiru mentioned having tons of homework, and now, Mitsuru was sitting bored on Mahiru's bed while she was bent over her papers.

"You're so grumpy, Mitsuru," she said suddenly, wrinkling her nose, "Why?"

"Why do you care?" he answered gruffly.

Sighing, she tipped back her chair and stared at the ceiling. "You're always running away or hiding or insulting us. You never act like you like us, but I know you do. You might've joined 'just for yourself' at the beginning, but you can't honestly tell me that you don't care about us."

"Whatever," he muttered drowsily, but she missed the tiredness in his voice.

"You're so frustrating sometimes." She got no answer. "Are you even…"

Mahiru turned around and was surprised to see Mitsuru sleeping soundly on her bed. Moving carefully, she sat down next to him and poked his softly. Yep, he wasn't faking. Without thinking, she patted his hair softly, and leaned back on the available space. Maybe Mitsuru had the right idea, because Mahiru was starting to feel really tired.

Keiko was a bit unsure of herself. Wasn't Akira the bad guy? Wasn't he apart of the Lunar Race? And she was offering him a place to sleep. Well, if he was the bad guy, he was awfully sweet. He _had_ saved her from the tengu boy or something along those lines.

Casting Akira an uneasy smile, she opened her apartment door. "It's not much," she said, "But I have a couch you could sleep on."

Akira himself was uneasy. Keiko herself had branded them as the enemy. What if he was walking into a trap? But she wouldn't do that, would she? She'd given them no reason for alarm, besides being apart of the Dawn's Venus.

"I don't mind," he answered, returning her smile with one just as tense. "Why don't I cook you something to repay you?"

"You don't have to," Keiko replied.

"But I want to."

Who could argue with that? And the puppy-dog eyes he threw in could send the strictest women to break out in smiles.

Keiko found herself laughing. "Go ahead, if you want."

Funny, she rarely remembered laughing with Hokuto.

◦◦◦

Mahiru felt warm. Warmer than she normally felt. Something was leaning up against her- or was she leaning against it- and it felt nice. And warm. She couldn't forget warm.

She vaguely remembered Mitsuru falling asleep on her bed. Did she fall asleep next to him? That would explain the arm wrapped around her waist and the chin resting on her head. Since she wasn't fully awake, her mind wasn't totally horrified that she was under the covers with Mitsuru. In fact, she moved closer to him. Who knew such a cold person could be so warm.

It was still dark outside; she could tell that through her window. Maybe she could go back to sleep. It was too nice to leave. The alarm clock that bathed the room in as soft green light read it was only midnight. Yeah, an hour or five more wouldn't hurt.

"Wow," Keiko said, "You're a really good cook."

Akira smiled. "That's what everyone tells me."

In the hour that Akira had taken to make them dinner, Keiko and he had become friendlier and friendlier towards each other. In the thirty minutes it took them to eat his delicious food, they had found that they had a lot of things in common. They had finished dinner and were still talking.

"Here," Keiko said, motioning to the couch, "I'll just grab you some blankets."

Akira began cleaning the dishes, a habit he had obtained from cooking at the Moonshine. Of course, Keiko wasn't happy about that when she came back in.

"You don't need to wash those," she said, "It's my house."

Akira shrugged. "Wanna help?"

She opened her mouth but smartly closed it. "Fine."

◦◦◦

Somehow, Keiko wasn't sure how, she and Akira had managed a water fight with the dishes. Now, she was soaking wet, as was he, and the kitchen needed a WET FLOOR sign. Akira handed her a towel he had managed to dig up while she was drying the floor.

"Sorry about that," he laughed.

Keiko couldn't help but smile. "About what? My kitchen just got cleaned without me having to do anything. That fortifies you a treat." She was slightly surprised when the ears came out. "Um…"

He glanced up and blushed. "Sorry 'bout that. Kind of a reflex."

Absently, Keiko ran a hand along one and quickly pulled back. "I… They're cute," she blushed.

Akira yawned, his mouth opening wide. She laughed. "I'm feeling tired to. You can take the couch, and I'm gonna go get ready for bed."

Neither of them moved. Akira caught her hand, which was still resting on his head, and held it for a moment. Somehow, they found themselves leaning into each other, getting ready for a kiss.

And that's when the door opened, and all hell broke loose.

◦◦◦

The light was what woke Mitsuru up. He was kind of surprised, seeing that the light never woke him up. He buried his head into the pillow when he realized that the pillow was actually hair.

Now this was scary.

Mitsuru had his arms wrapped around Mahiru's waist, his chin resting in her soft blonde hair (A/N: She's blonde, right?), and they were way too close for comfort. He tried to pull back, but this only succeeded in knocking him off the bed.

The thump he made woke Mahiru up. Her head popped up- her eyes were still closed- and she threw a pillow in the direction of her alarm clock. She flew back down, using the other pillow to cover her face.

_Damn it._ Mitsuru couldn't remember where the room he was supposed to be sleeping in was, and he really didn't have the energy to climb up and find it. So he leaned back on the floor, when the alarm clock started going off.

Mahiru popped up again, her pillow being knocked off since it covered her head, and muttered, "Fine, I'm up."

Of course, she tripped over Mitsuru getting out of bed. It was kind of funny, but Mitsuru didn't think so.

"Watch where you're going," he murmured.

"Mitsuru?" she asked groggily. "Why are you in my room?"

He had to think fast on this one. "Because your stupid alarm clock wouldn't shut off."

Mahiru reached out to hit the SNOOZE button when she remembered waking up last night. She smiled. "Whatever you say. Could you please get out? I need to change."

Mitsuru was all too happy to oblige.

"Hokuto," Keiko breathed.

She was proved correct when the a male voice called, "Keiko, I need to talk to you."

Akira stepped back. "Should I leave?"

Keiko could only nod. "There's-"

Hokuto entered the room.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

Akira pulled away from Keiko's face. 'Remain calm. He doesn't know who you are.'

Keiko was thinking the same thing. "Hokuto," she asked startled, "What are you doing here?"

Hokuto looked surprised himself, but he quickly remained his serious air. "I was hoping we could discuss something, but I see you are busy." His gaze rested on Akira, a menacing glare. It held a moment too long for the werewolf's comfort.

"Hokuto…" Keiko said, noticing where his glare was directed.

"We shall talk tomorrow then."

He left.

They were safe.

If only.

◦◦◦

Hokuto dialed Mutsura's number. The disgruntled warrior answered with a rough, "What?"

"We're needed. Meet near Keiko's."

There was nothing else needed.

Of course Hokuto recognized Akira. During the WPF rampage, he'd seen the werewolf change into his human form. Did Keiko know, or was something else taking place?

They'd know soon enough.

◦◦◦

"I think that's a sign I should leave," Akira said.

Keiko actually felt sadness at the statement. Sure, she'd suffered a bit of a heartbreak over Hokuto, but never sorrow over something simply said like a goodbye.

"Are you sure you want to leave?" she asked, throwing in puppy-dog eyes for extra measure.

Akira laughed. "I don't want to, but I left Mahiru with Mitsuru, and he's probably stuffing her body into a bag as we speak."

"Mitsuru?" she wondered aloud. "He's the angry one." She remembered him all too well.

"Honestly, I've never seen him smile, but Mahiru's always trying to get him to be nice. He's fun enough to annoy, but she doesn't know when to stop."

Keiko chuckled. The werewolf shot her a baffled look.

"What?"

"It's nothing," she calmed herself. "It just sounds like she likes him."

_That_ made him laugh. "That's the funniest image I could think up."

An awkward silence followed.

"A-Akira," Keiko stammered. "About… before Hokuto interrupted…"

"Yeah?"

"Well, my family's the ones who are supposed to… you know… kill you…"

"Keiko?"

"Yes?"

She felt him press his lips oh-so lightly against hers. A flurry of butterflies arose in her stomach, and she tried to press forward, but Akira had already stepped back.

"Maybe I should stay."

His answer was another kiss.

Mahiru had never bothered on the eating habits of her friends. It was food. They ate it. End of story. But something about Mitsuru's eating style absolutely fascinated her.

First, he approached the food with a look of curiosity masked by disgust. He took a tentative bite into it as if he had never been served the food before. If he liked it, which he had last night, he'd take a bigger bite and eat with a pleasurable persistence. If he disliked it, his bites would slow until he choked down the last piece.

"What are you staring at?" he hissed across the table.

Mahiru returned to her food. "Nothing," she said innocently.

'Liar,' he thought but said nothing.

Needless to say, it was a long, silent morning.

The calm before the storm.

And there was more than one storm brewing.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

Mahiru stood expectantly behind Mitsuru. He crossed his arms as she rocked back and forth on her heels.

"You want me to take you to school, don't you?"

Mahiru smiled. "Sure, since you offered."

He scowled. "Fine."

His arms slid around her waist, and, for some odd reason, she felt her breath catch in her throat. Mitsuru himself felt an odd sensation when her arms locked around his neck. Their eyes locked and held a moment too long. They began to lean towards each other, their lips meeting halfway.

For a moment, a wind rushed against the two but quickly quelled. Mahiru felt something shift within her as a small white light surrounded them.

Mitsuru pulled back.

It had lasted nearly five seconds.

Mitsuru was breathing heavily, tengu markings creeping onto his cheeks.

Mahiru clasped her hand over her mouth. "Mitsuru," she breathed, truly believing the tengu was mad at her, "I'm so, so sorry."

Many things ran through Mitsuru mind. Most of them being: 'not right' and 'holy crap.' Yet he still had to fight down the urge to grab her and kiss her again. Though he wasn't human, he still blamed teenage hormones.

Mahiru stood there feeling happy, shocked, and confused. It had been her first kiss, and she had enjoyed it, more or less.

"Guess I'm walking then," she muttered with fake cheerfulness, masking her absolute terror that he might kill her. She began walking towards the bus when something caught her eye. Mitsuru, who had returned to his human form, caught her gaze and followed it to Akira and Keiko curled together sleeping in Mahiru's bushes.

◦◦◦

Akira and Keiko had not been having the best night. Yes, they had shared a snog or two (okay, so they spent a bit of time making out on the couch), but they quickly stopped when Keiko had a vision of Hokuto coming in and capturing Akira. They had quickly fled only to find Mutsura keeping a close eye on them. Akira had remembered Mahiru's aunt's address and decided that Mahiru must've headed there. They spent most of the night dodging through allies and arrived to curl up in a hiding spot and sleep. The werewolf would later be sad to hear he missed Mahiru and Mitsuru's first snog, but they currently had bigger problems on their hands. Namely explaining exactly what they were doing there.

◦◦◦

After Akira explained everything (leaving out certain parts not needed to be mentioned) Mahiru decided that school was not the most important thing at the moment. Since her aunt was already out, she decided to let them back into her house and possibly get Keiko clean clothes; there was nothing she could do for the boys.

Mitsuru found himself unluckily alone with the werewolf while Mahiru went digging through her closet. Fortunately, Akira was in the process of sleeping on the kitchen counter while the tengu sorted out his thoughts.

The tengu had never really come to terms with his emotions; he'd never seen the point. His goal was to get stronger and quite possible bury Misoka alive. Since he had been with Mahiru- hell, since he had first met the human- he'd found himself on a never-ending emotional roller coaster that was less fun than a kick in the head. If fact, he'd rather just kill the damn human, but he knew that would send him on spirals of guilt, especially after that kiss.

'_That kiss…'_

He hated himself for even thinking about it, for even taking it into consideration. Hell, he hated the fact that he had kissed her. What he hated the most, though, was the fact that she had kissed him back.

Personally, he blamed Nozomu.

The damn vampire had always told him to 'make nice' with the princess. Mitsuru, so far, was not happy with the turn out. Why couldn't he just go back to hating humans? It was so much easier.

Now two humans were being thrust into his life, and both were unwanted.

"I know what you're thinking," Akira mumbled sleepily.

The tengu raised an eyebrow. _'I highly doubt that,'_ he thought, but remained silent.

"You don't trust Keiko," Akira continued, propping his head up, "Do you?"

Well, it was true…

"I promise, she's here to help," the werewolf mumbled.

"I liked you better when you didn't talk," Mitsuru growled.

"You can't go on hating humans."

The fact that he kissed one agreed with the werewolf. Mitsuru took a deep breath and answered, "I'll be civil." Civil did not equal nice.

Akira accepted the answer nonetheless. "Thanks."

Keiko and Mahiru returned at that moment. Keiko was wearing a shirt that was a bit small, seeing how she was a bit bigger than Mahiru, and her school skirt. Mahiru herself had not changed.

"I," Keiko immediately spoke, "I don't want… I just wanted to make sure Akira was okay. I can face Hokuto."

Both Mahiru and Akira protested.

"We can't just…"

"But what if…"

"…leave you there…"

"…we need you or…"

"…what would happen!"

"…something!"

Keiko took a moment to sort out the sentences. "But…" Thinking of no good arguments, she continued weakly, "Where are we going?"

Obviously, they had not thought of this.

"Well…"

"Um…"

Mitsuru continued to stare at the wall sullenly.

"I guess we should talk to Misoka and Nozomu…"

"Yeah…"

None of them seemed very happy about their conclusion.

Mahiru glanced at Mitsuru. "Akira and Keiko probably shouldn't go. Hokuto is most likely still looking for them… So maybe Mitsuru and I should go and tell them…"

The tengu shot her a startled glare. "Why can't the damn vampire come here and find us?"

"Well, what are we gonna do?"

The werewolf weakly raised his hand. "Hide out here?"

It was the best plan they had so far.

◦◦◦

Keiko and Akira were napping in separate beds as Mahiru and Mitsuru sat in the living room. They wallowed in the tense silence for a few minutes before Mahiru spoke.

"Mitsuru," she breathed, "I think we should talk about… what happened."

"Whatever," he mumbled.

She felt a strange feeling and tugged apprehensively at her skirt. "I-I liked it…"

Mitsuru started; this was unexpected. He cast her a long look and realized she was scared of what he'd say. And for some odd reason, he didn't want to hurt her. So he sucked in a breath and slowly began speaking.

"I didn't…" he saw her cringe, "… didn't hate it. I'm just…"

"Confused?" offered Mahiru.

Reluctantly, he nodded.

The princess moved a bit closer to him. "I just want to know where we stand."

It was more complicated than the princess seemed to think. Mitsuru had never liked her, and she had spent her first few weeks in fear of him. Of course she had warmed up to the tengu, but he had merely accepted that she was there and would not be leaving.

And now they were snogging in her front lawn.

Mitsuru sighed, defeated. Cautiously, he pulled Mahiru closer to him and softly brushed his lips against hers. She closed her eyes and leaned against him, pressing back ever so slightly.

"Interesting activity," a familiar voice interrupted them.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

Mahiru and Mitsuru jumped apart, looking for the source of the voice. All they saw was a bat…

'_Damn vampire,'_ Mitsuru thought.

Mahiru was blushing profoundly. "N-Nozomu, what are-"

"I could ask you the same question, but I won't. We got worried about you, so I sent Mr. Bat to check up on you. Interesting position I found you in. Hey, Mitsuru, since when does 'make nice' mean 'make out?'" The vampire's cocky attitude showed clearly in the voice the bat emanated.

Mitsuru stopped himself from lunging at the bat. "None of your damn business."

Mahiru saved the poor thing from the tengu's glare (five minutes of that and your head is sure to explode). "Nozomu," she said sweetly, stepping between the bat and the tengu, "We, um, found Akira."

There was a hesitant, "Yes?"

"He's, um, with… Keiko and…"

Silence.

"…The Dawn's Venus has, um, found out…who… he… is…"

Three… two… one…

"What!"

"Yeah, um…"

"They could've followed him and…"

"Nozomu…"

"…You could be in danger and…"

"Well, yes, but Nozomu…"

"Not to mention Keiko's part of the Dawn's Venus!"

"Are you done?"

"No!"

Mitsuru cut in. "Listen, bat boy, it doesn't matter whether or not Keiko's affiliated with the Dawn's Venus or not. Akira seems to trust her so I say we should too."

Shocked silence.

"Did Mitsuru…"

"Yeah…"

"Dang, Mahiru, I think hell just froze over!"

"Mitsuru trusting a human? Not possible."

"We have truly seen a miracle!"

The tengu growled, "Shut up."

Even the vampire could see he was in a bad mood. "Point taken. Now, what are we gonna do?"

"Come back to the Moonshine?" Mahiru asked weakly.

"Like that idea. I'm sure Mitsuru will have no trouble carrying you…"

"Shove it," was his response.

The vampire ignored him. "Keep Mr. Bat with you so we can keep in touch. I'm going to tell Misoka."

Mahiru cast Mitsuru a small smile. "Don't… tell anyone, would you?"

Nozomu laughed. "Sure, whatever. Just so you know, when we're in private, I shall tease you mercilessly."

"Deal."

The bat fluttered to Mahiru and landed gently on her shoulder. She turned to Mitsuru. "We should wake Akira up."

Mitsuru nodded, happy to be away from the gibbering vampire.

◦◦◦

Keiko was worried. Not only had she abandoned her team, she'd basically abandoned her race. All for one demon.

It had been a confusing night.

She wasn't sad; far from it. She had a calmness surrounding her, but she was still mucking around in her confusion. Had her decision been justified? If she had wanted to get rid of Akira, she could've told Hokuto the moment he walked in.

Yet she hadn't.

Noises caught her attention as Mahiru opened the door.

"We're going to the Moonshine," she said quietly, "We need you to come."

Keiko sat up. "Am I…"

"Nozomu's decided to trust you. Mitsuru, too."

Keiko smiled.

"Akira wants to take you in his wolf form. He wants to know if you'll mind."

She tensed. "I… don't mind. I guess Mitsuru's taking you."

For some reason unknown to Keiko, Mahiru blushed. "Yeah… Come on, we should go."

◦◦◦

Akira held out the power charm for Keiko to see and explained how they worked. She nodded, though she was still unsure of what she was about to do.

"Don't worry," he smiled at her as he took her into his arms, "The first time Mahiru really got a ride was from Mitsuru."

That made her feel a tiny bit better. She watched in a horrific fascination as Akira's body changed. In a few seconds he had completely transformed, and Keiko felt that small inkling of fear that Mahiru had felt when Akira had grabbed her the first time.

It didn't get any better as he sped up.

◦◦◦

Mahiru let the bat fly ahead as they readied to fly. She turned to Mitsuru and smiled sweetly.

"Ready?" she said, trying not to giggle.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he mumbled as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Just a little bit," she chuckled, pecking his cheek as the wind began to swirl around them.

◦◦◦

Keiko could barely breathe as Akira finally stopped. When he turned back, she was wrapped around his waist.

"That," she gasped, "was not fun."

He laughed and pried her off. Mitsuru landed a few feet behind him.

Mahiru giggled at Keiko's frazzled demeanor. "Don't worry," she said, "I was scared the first time too. At least you knew what was going on."

"Sorry to interrupt this little moment," a smooth voice said behind them, "But leader-san says I should get you in here."

The four turned to see Nozomu, sunglasses and all. Keiko shrunk back a bit.

He nodded at her. "We're not going to chain you up or anything. Don't think Akira or Mahiru would let us."

Keiko nodded and they headed inside.

Time to face the leader.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

The tension was thick. Akira held protectively onto Keiko's arm as though Misoka would grab her at any second and slap a frying pan over her head; Mahiru was nervously playing with her shirt (and sitting a bit too close to Mitsuru for his comfort); and Nozomu's playful attitude had left him.

The fox demon bowed as he normally would, muttering "Princess" as he always did to Mahiru, but they could tell he was far from happy, especially about Keiko being there. Nozomu had a grim expression on, and he stood behind Misoka, his arms crossed in a position similar to Mitsuru's normal posture.

"We are in a tough position," Misoka started slowly, eyeing Keiko with a mix of interest and distaste. He personally had nothing against the human, but this was something that could not be ignored. "The Dawn's Venus not only knows Akira's identity, but they most likely realize Keiko is helping him. My question is: are you helping us?"

Keiko took a hesitant breath. This was the moment that defined whose side she was on. She bowed her head and said, "I am here to help."

The barest trace of a smile crossed Misoka's lips. "Good, then we have no problem. Of course I would feel safer if we kept a close watch on you."

The psychic nodded understandingly. It made perfect sense.

The fox demon continued without skipping a beat. "Akira will have to stay low. We cannot afford the Dawn Venus discovering the rest of us. I assume both Mitsuru and Akira will come back here…"

Both gave a small nod.

"…But what of you, Princess? Are you willing to come back to us?"

Mahiru did not need to hesitate. "Yes."

Misoka nodded. "Then I assume you'll need help moving your things back here."

The princess nodded exuberantly; she was happy that there seemed to be no problem.

"Keiko," he turned to the psychic, "Do you have things you need?"

She nodded.

"We'll have to work something out, then. It's far too dangerous for either you or Akira to get your things, and if they are watching your apartment, then none of us can go get your things. We can supply you with necessities."

"So I'm…"

"Staying here? Yes."

Mahiru awkwardly stood, diverting his attention towards her. "I should go back to my aunt's house. She'll be expecting me, and I can't just leave with no explanation."

Misoka bobbed his head in agreement. "Mitsuru should go with you; with the Dawn's Venus running around, we need to be careful. Nozomu and I will get Keiko situated."

Mahiru tried not to smile; time alone with Mitsuru was just what she wanted.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9_

She hadn't known what she'd expected of him (certainly nothing sweep-me-off-my-feet romantic), but this was not it.

Yes, Mahiru and Mitsuru had shared more than one kiss since they returned to her house, but soon afterwards, he had taken to staring at her bedroom wall with a focused gaze, as if he were concentrating on a certain spot. She had curled up on her bed, lilting in her happiness and wondering exactly what he was thinking.

What was the tengu thinking? He was wondering exactly why he had kissed the princess… and why he had enjoyed it. He was about ready to bang his head into a wall, just to see if anything would clear up.

The most logically answer to the problem was that this was a natural part of growing up and, Mahiru being the only girl around, he had settled on her.

Unfortunately none of this was logical, so his brain continued to look for another answer, completely avoiding the most obvious one: he actually had feelings for her. That wasn't possible, was it?

Mahiru herself was ready to stand on her roof and scream out a song. Instead, she sat, staring at the back of Mitsuru's head. He seemed frustrated and angry. She wondered if he was angry at her or just their situation. She felt herself grow frustrated at him; he had always been locked up inside himself. He had never let her, or anyone for that matter, in, and it didn't look as if that would change.

Slowly, like one would approach a wounded animal, she slid off her bed and scooted next to him. She noticed- sensed, she wondered- bemusement as she rested her head on his shoulder and carefully moved his arm to loop around her waist.

The tengu couldn't help but notice as her face drooped a bit. She looked sad, and he was confused as to why. His stomach clenched. Did he do something? Was she sad because of him?

_Since when did you care,_ he asked himself.

Ignoring the voice in the back of his head (the voice that normally seemed to be the voice of reason), he rested his head on top of hers.

He felt her smile.

"Comfy," a familiar voice said.

Both looked up, knocking heads. Nozomu was sitting nonchalantly on the space outside Mahiru's window, a teasing smile on his face.

Even Mahiru was cursing out the vampire.

"What are you doing here?" Mitsuru growled.

"I told Misoka I didn't think we should leave you two alone together, for different reasons than he might think."

Mahiru slowly got up to let the vampire in; honestly, it was the last thing she wanted to do.

"My aunt will be back home soon," she said as he climbed inside the room.

The vampire leaned in close to her face with a sly grin. "I can't wait until we move you back in. I really missed you."

She blushed fire; Mitsuru suppressed the urge to stuff the vampire's perfect face in a blender.

Nozomu broke out in a fit of laughter. "Kidding," he choked out.

Mahiru returned to the spot besides Mitsuru, missing his warmth; Nozomu sat in front of them.

"We're getting Keiko moved in, but we need to get her stuff," Nozomu started. He was so waiting for the right moment to possibly piss Mitsuru off. It was hilarious.

Mahiru smiled. She was happy that her friends seemingly trusted Keiko. She knew Misoka would take some convincing, but the fact that he allowed her to stay was good enough for her.

"So how are you two lovebirds holding up?"

Mahiru suppressed a groan while Mitsuru clutched his knees, trying to restrain his anger.

"Something wrong Mitsuru?" the vampire asked with mock innocence.

"No," he snarled, "I'm just imagining what you would look like with two tons of dynamite stuffed up your nose."

"I think that was a threat."

Mahiru scooted back an inch. This was not going to end pretty.

◦◦◦

_A hazy fog; black skies; silver chains._

_Four sets. Blood, dying, choices._

"_Kill her."_

Keiko woke with a start. She'd fallen asleep in Akira's arms (finally able to rest for real) and had a vision. A disturbing one.

She'd promised to share whatever visions she had with her new… teammates? What did she call them?

And how did she tell them what she saw?


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10_

Nozomu had been dodging Mitsuru's attacks for a half-hour, each time laughing harder and harder. Finally, Mitsuru became so irritated that he plopped down on the floor with a huff, much like a spoiled child ready to throw a tantrum.

Mahiru, needless to say, was bored. At first, watching the boys playfully exchange blows had been amusing, but Nozomu couldn't stop laughing, and Mitsuru became bored with the whole idea.

How she wished the vampire would leave.

Nozomu finally returned to his spot outside the window as her aunt returned home.

"Hello, Auntie," Mahiru said sweetly as the front door opened.

"Yes?" she mumbled suspiciously.

"I've come to a conclusion about some things."

"Would these things involve the boy you drag around with you?"

"I wanna move back in with those boys."

"Mahiru, you're killing me."

She gave her a pleading look.

Her aunt sighed. "You know…" Another deep breath. "What's the plan?"

◦◦◦

Two days later, Mahiru had returned to her old room in the back of the Moonshine. Keiko was right across the hall from her, as she was delighted to know.

Yes, Keiko had voiced her concerns about her dreams to Akira who had told Misoka. The fox had questioned Keiko further, but as hard as she tried, there was nothing more to see.

Until the night of the waning crescent…

_The inky blackness surrounded her as blurry shapes moved back and forth. Someone was talking, someone she recognized as Hokuto. There was a pause when a female voice whispered, "I can't."_

"_Kill her."_

_There was a small scream, and blood._

_Someone was going to die._

Keiko shot up in her bed, running to Akira's room. The werewolf was tossing comically in his sleep.

"Akira," she hissed, shaking him, "Please wake up." She was pleading with him.

His eyes blinked open for a few seconds and he let out a garbled, "What?"

"I had a vision…"

◦◦◦

Once she had shared her vision, Akira had rushed to Misoka to tell him. The fox demon had awoken the teens and gathered them. He would inform Oboro later.

It resembled a slumber party: Misoka was pacing in his sky blue pajamas; Nozomu was lying across the floor in his striped ones; Akira and Keiko were huddled together; Mahiru- clad only in an oversized T-shirt- leaning against Mitsuru, still half-asleep; and Mitsuru was suspiciously unaffected by the fact that his least favorite person was sleeping on his shoulder.

"What exactly did you see?" Misoka asked Keiko.

"I'm not really sure," she answered quietly, "Everything was kind of blurry. I heard Hokuto talking. He said, 'Kill her,' and I saw blood. Then I woke up."

The fox demon paused. "'Kill her?'"

"Yes."

"You remember nothing else?"

Keiko shook her head.

"it is quite possible," he said calmly, "that Mahiru may be in serious danger. I do not think it wise for either Mahiru or Keiko to go out. At least not for a while."

Before anyone could protest, he sent them away. They would discuss it further in the morning.

Nozomu lingered. "What do you think?"

"I think that I worry that the new moon is next week. Keep Mahiru under close guard. Keiko also. I would like to stop by her apartment also…"

The fox was planning something.

He wasn't the only one.

Hokuto had a plan, and a damn good one at that.

And no half-assed werewolf was going to stand in his way.


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter 11_

One week passed.

Both Keiko and Mahiru had not left the Moonshine. They'd missed a week of school.

It was the night before the full moon, and the four teenage members of the Lunar race were powerless. A sad inability on their part easily fixed by a certain princess.

Mitsuru and Mahiru had barely talked, and, with Nozomu around, they had rarely gotten a moment alone.

All seemed back to normal, despite a few minor changes. Nozomu had kept his promise, and no one knew of Mahiru and Mitsuru's relationship besides the three.

A somewhat normal life about to be thrown out of whack by an old enemy.

Mitsuru settled in what seemed to be his favorite place now: the roof. He'd been sorting through his thoughts, searching for anything to prove his relationship with Mahiru. Anything to prop them up with that did not mean that he cared for her or loved her in any sense.

So far he had nil.

He heard a soft shuffling behind him. He didn't know how, but he knew it was Mahiru.

"What?" he snapped.

"I want to talk to you," she began, getting straight to the point.

"Then talk," he said, his frustration building.

"I want to know what I am to you."

He started. This was an unexpected question. She wasn't the princess to him; she wasn't a girlfriend he could hang around his wrist like a bracelet and flaunt; she wasn't a lover, someone he could hide in his own little corner; she wasn't anything.

But she was something.

He didn't answer her.

"Mitsuru, I need to know. I think I might…"

'_Might what?'_ He remained silent.

"…care for you more than I should."

She wouldn't admit it, but she was falling in love with him.

And he could sense that.

He'd wounded her with his silent ways and angry attitude. Kissing her, making her feel this, had only poured salt on the wound.

He'd hurt her, and he hated himself for that.

"I'm sorry," he finally managed to whisper.

"What?" she asked in an almost bitter tone. She inched up to him until they were side by side.

This was torture to the tengu. "I said I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, I didn't mean to be rude, and I didn't meant to kiss you."

"So what are we?"

"So what are we?"

"We're strangers. I mean, what the hell were we thinking? I thought I hated you."

"Do you?"

"No."

Slowly, Mahiru brought her face to his and tapped her lips against his.

"We have to stop doing that," he muttered.

"Yeah…"

Suddenly, Mahiru felt a wave of drowsiness crash over her. She swayed for a moment before slumping against Mitsuru. He tried to look at her, but noticed the black edging at his eyes. He knew he was going to pass out.

Something was wrong.

And then he blacked out.


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter 12_

Mahiru opened her eyes and immediately closed them. After a moment's consideration, she peeked them open again to see where she was.

It was a dark, dungeon-like room dotted with candles and ceremonial items. In front of her were four steel cages with four familiar lumps.

Mahiru attempted to stand, but was knocked down by the chains around her wrist. She landed on her stomach with a cold thump.

"Don't move, girl," came a cold voice, "We do not need your interference."

The owner of the voice was shielded by the ever-present shadows. Mahiru felt something cold against her skin. Fearfully, she looked up and saw a grinning Mutsura. The other voice had to be Hokuto.

"Don't think about freeing your friends," Mutsura hissed. The knife pressed against her throat sent goosebumps running down her body. "Even if you manage to free yourself, there's nothing you can do to save them."

Mahiru's mind was racing. Where were they? How did they get there? And the most important question of all: _How did they find out?_

Hokuto answered her final question for her. "Keiko so kindly gave us your location. Her main goal was to lead us to you, and getting close to the werewolf was the only way. Let's hope everything she's told us was correct."

Little did he know, Hokuto had just made two big mistakes.

◦◦◦

Keiko opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but she could make out distinct shapes. One was Mahiru, her stomach pressed to the floor, Mutsura towering over her with a knife pressed to her neck. The second was Hokuto, half-hidden in the shadows, bent over something she couldn't make out. He was saying something, and she could just make out the words.

"Keiko so kindly gave us your location…"

What! She'd done nothing of the sort!

"…Her main goal was to lead us to you, and getting close to the werewolf was the only way…"

If she had been allowed to, she would've screamed in a bloody rage and throttled Hokuto within an inch of his life.

All that came out was a shriek sounding between rage and surprise. In a desperate attempt to strangle Hokuto, she stood and instantly tripped, crashing to the ground. She had a gag around her mouth and chains around her wrists and ankles. She attempted another enraged scream, but the gag would not allow it to be heard.

She sat sullenly. There had to be a way out of this.

'_Please let there be a way out of this.'_


	13. Chapter lucky 13

_Chapter 13_

As Keiko struggled to free herself, Mahiru was undergoing her own struggle.

"Why is it," Hokuto continued, "that you consort with the demons? What power do they hold over you?" Half of his face unearthed through the flickering candlelight, and the princess saw his smirk. "Or is it the power you hold over them?"

She glanced at her friends. She could barely make out the rise and fall of their chests.

"You and those monsters are constantly ruining out plans. In return, we shall annihilate you all. And you, my dear traitorous human, will watch. Unless…"

Somehow she knew what was coming.

"…Unless you betray the murderous beasts."

"I should slit your throat right now," Mutsura hissed.

"No need for that," Hokuto said, "We simply need to let the girl come to her sense."

Slowly, Mahiru found her voice. "Y-you're asking me," she said shakily, "to betray my friends and let them and their people die."

"They deserve no friendship, nor should they be allowed to live."

"I can't."

Hokuto frowned. Still, they had a duty, and this girl was standing in their way.

"Kill her."

◦◦◦

Unknown to the occupants of the room, Mitsuru was no longer asleep. He had waken earlier as Hokuto explained Keiko's betrayal. The tengu swore he was going to bang the werewolf's head against a brick wall until his brain sorted when they got out of this.

If they got out of this.

While the humans' attention had been drawn towards Mahiru, he had carefully played with his restraints. It did not take him long to figure out he was not getting out of there so easily.

If only he could transform. But with Mahiru being ten feet away with two humans and a cage standing in his way, it didn't look good.

His heart went cold when he heard Hokuto's proposition. He closed his eyes in an attempt to clear his mind. If it weren't for the new moon, he could've throttled Hokuto already…

And then he saw it. What seemed to be a river of white energy snaking between him and Mahiru. It was _her_ energy; the same thing that gave them their power when no full moon was in place. The same thing that aided their transformations.

Slowly, he reached out to the energy. It streamed into his fingertips, pulsating into him.

"Kill her."

His eyes snapped open. No one, especially not some human bastard, was going to lay a hand on his princess.

He had transformed.

"Not possible," Hokuto breathed.

Mitsuru ignored him and lunged straight for Mutsura. The tengu's nails (A/N: or are they claws? You know, I don't know. Anyway, story here) ran straight through him.

He never stood a chance.

Mahiru shrieked as the blood splattered against her.

For a beat, everything stood still. Mutsura's body thumped against the floor.

Mahiru watched as Mitsuru broke through the chains. She instantly grabbed him in a hug, clinging to him like a lifeline. He transformed back and returned the embrace.

"He deserved it."

Mitsuru glanced down at her, startled. "What?"

"He wanted me to hurt you," she whispered.

He squeezed her gently and slowly released his arms.

"This really is touching."

Both turned to see Hokuto.

"Really," he said, "This only makes my job easier."

Mitsuru rushed forward, grabbed Hokuto by the neck, and thrust him against the wall.

"Go ahead, monster," Hokuto spat, "What's one more life?"

"Mitsuru," Mahiru whispered, "Let's just go."

Mitsuru glanced sharply at her. In one swift motion, he slammed Hokuto's head against the wall and let him drop. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.

"We need to free the rest," Mahiru said, coercing him away from the prospect of ripping apart Hokuto. Even if he deserved it, no one else needed to die.

Didn't mean no one else was going to.


	14. Chapter unlucky 14

_Chapter 14_

Keiko had come to a conclusion.

She was stuck, and she wasn't moving. The way her luck was going now, Mitsuru would probably find her and tear her head off. She'd already seen him do that to Mutsura.

And now that she realized there was no way out, she began to contemplate many things, most of them trivial, considering her situation, but with enough interest to keep her mind off things.

Number one: the hug that Mitsuru and Mahiru had shared. She'd already decided that Mahiru liked Mitsuru, but the human-hater liking her back? The thought boggled her, so she moved onto the next subject.

Number two: Akira. Had he heard what Hokuto said? Did he believe him? Did he hate her? She bit her lip and tried to think of something else.

_Ugh, let's face it. I'm doomed. I might as well think of something.'_

She thanked God that Mitsuru had not killed Hokuto; she would have to do that herself.

◦◦◦

Nozomu and Akira were still out, but Misoka was awake and helping Mitsuru and Mahiru lug the others' bodies around.

"Are you sure you are not injured, Princess?" Misoka asked, shaking Akira slightly to arouse him.

"I'm fine," Mahiru assured him. Mutsura's blood was still on her back. (A/N: You know how people get sick when they see blood? Doesn't that make them a self-loather? Anyway… What was I doing again? Oh, yeah, story.)

"Then we need to return to the Moonshine and collect our bearings. Do we know where Keiko is?"

"No point in finding her," Mitsuru said, hoisting the unconscious body of Nozomu over his shoulder, "She ratted us out."

Misoka glanced at Mahiru. She nodded.

"And you're sure you sense no teardrops?"

She nodded again.

"Fine. I'll try waking Akira again. You can't carry all of us."

Mitsuru nodded.

"What should we do with Hokuto?"

"Leave him," Mahiru said.

"If you insist, Princess."

Akira stirred and slowly peeked open an eye. "Where are we?" he groaned.

"We're trying to get out," Misoka answered, "No need in asking where we are."

The werewolf glanced around. "Where's Keiko?"

Misoka exchanged glances with the princess. "Not important. We will discuss her later."

Akira had a feeling he wasn't going to like it.

Keiko was in an uncomfortable position.

She'd spent the last thirty minutes attempting to remove her gag (a hard feat for someone with their hands tied behind their back) with no success. Now, she was practically breaking her arm to get the damn thing off.

Finally, she managed to rip it off with a loud yelp. After the pain dissipated, she smiled.

Her joy was cut short as she noticed Hokuto standing in her pathway.

"You," she hissed, "Come here and let me free so I can rip your head off."

"Tempting but no. I still need you. You and that girl are traitors to your kind."

"Hokuto, please. Those teardrops never belonged to us anyway. They're _stolen_. Why can't we give them back?"

"Did the demons teach you that?"

She glared.

He sighed in a defeated manner. "Let's make a compromise then. You lead them to me and I spare the werewolf."

"I-"

"You saw what they did to Mutsura. They're no better than murderers."

"Neither are you."

"Fine. The wolf can die thinking you betrayed him."

Keiko's heart sunk. "Why do you need me?"

"That will be revealed in due time."

And for a moment, Keiko thought she saw a flicker of remorse cross his face.

◦◦◦

"Do we know where we're going?" Mahiru asked.

Misoka and Mitsuru turned to give her a small scowl. She sighed and glanced at Akira. He seemed to be nervous; he was glancing around and wringing his hands together. Then again, they were all a bit nervous. Nozomu was still unconscious over Mitsuru's shoulder as they traveled down a damp hallway.

"We are moving blindly, Princess," Misoka said, "We need to be careful _and_ _silent._"

Mahiru caught the warning and hung her head, keeping her eyes on the floor. Mitsuru glanced at her and shook his head at Misoka.

The fox demon held out a hand to stop the tengu. Mahiru, whom was not paying attention to what was going on in front of her, crashed into back of Mitsuru. Nozomu's body jumped and thumped against the spot the princess had just hit. Akira stopped an inch from Mahiru, keeping Mitsuru from becoming more irritated than he already was.

"There's a door here," the fox demon said.

The rest strained to see the door. All they saw was a black space.

"Here," he continued, stretching out his hand on an unseen surface.

Mitsuru followed the movement and was surprised to feel a smooth surface.

"There's something odd about it," Misoka murmured.

"It's a door isn't it?" the tengu said and pushed against it.

"Stop."

He withdrew his hand quickly.

Slowly, Misoka trailed his fingers, feeling indentions in the black door. "There are symbols here." He allowed himself to put a slight pressure on the door, and it cracked open an inch; a mistake, as life would have it.

Instantly, bolts of blue lightning stretched out to attack the five. Luckily, the members of the Lunar race had incredible reflexes and managed to jump out of the way before the bolts connected with their bodies. Misoka slammed against the wall; Mitsuru dropped down to the floor (dropping Nozomu in the process); Akira jumped back rather far; and Mahiru, with no incredible powers, was hit in chest, and blue sparks covered her body. In a minute, she collapsed to the ground.

All three (Nozomu was still unconscious, mind you) scrambled to her side. Misoka checked her body for any signs of injury. Slowly, he brought his gaze to the other two.

"She's dead."


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter 15_

"What did you say?" Mitsuru asked, not able to believe his ears (A/N: I realized he had those cute pointy ears when he's about to transform. Damn, those ears are hot. What was I doing? Oh yeah, story.)

"No pulse, no breathing," Misoka gave him a sharp glance, "To most, that's a sign of death."

Akira (whom had been looking pitiful before) suddenly looked absolutely depressed.

"B-but," he stuttered, "She can't be."

"She is," the fox demon said with a bitter coldness.

The werewolf's eyes swelled with tears, and he let out a small whimper. Mitsuru himself tried to fight back the teardrops threatening his stoic demeanor. He clenched his fists as he bit back his words.

Misoka straightened. "There is nothing we can do. For now, we must get back to the Moonshine."

Mitsuru exploded. "What the hell do you mean there's nothing we can do!"

"Do you think I'd be sitting here if there was!" Misoka snapped right back.

A legitimate grow escaped Mitsuru's throat. "I am going to rip that bastards head off."

"Don't act childish. More death will not help."

"It'll sure make me feel a hell of a lot better."

"Mitsuru, you can't just-"

"Fuck you, alright. I am tearing them to shreds whether you like it or not."

Misoka hesitated. Yes, the tengu got angry with them constantly, but he had never gone as far as to cuss them out.

The hesitation was enough for Mitsuru to brush past him. He was determined to kill Hokuto and Keiko.

Misoka muttered a quick curse. He turned to Akira. "Get the princess and Nozomu to safety."

"How are you going to stop Mitsuru without your powers?" he asked quietly, heaving Mahiru's body carefully onto his shoulder. No magic; no transformation.

"I'll figure something out."

◦◦◦

Mitsuru crept carefully into the room he had been held in. He saw neither human he sought. But he did notice a curtain in the corner most likely leading to another room. His suspicion was confirmed as Hokuto entered from it. Mitsuru instantly sped toward him, his speed aided by the wind, and grabbed Hokuto by the throat, slamming him against the wall.

"This is getting old," the shaman croaked.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't break your neck?"

"Mitsuru!" called a voice. He turned to see Misoka. "Let go of the human."

"No worries," Hokuto said, "I'll free myself." Misoka had aided as a distraction, and Hokuto used this to slam his legs into Mitsuru's chest.

The tengu stumbled back, his grip lax. The shaman sped for the nearest weapon, a sword with a power symbol inscribed into the blade. At an amazing speed, he swung his sword at Mitsuru.

At any other battle, Mitsuru would've found himself distracted by his anger, but this time, he focused with it. He was fighting for revenge, for life, and for Mahiru (A/N: oh the drama I write). No one was stopping him.

And as this gave him an edge in battle, it was sorely misplaced. For you see, Mahiru was not dead yet.

◦◦◦

Akira had managed to find a safe place outside. He was currently sitting on a roof, trying to wake Nozomu with no result. At normal strength, the vampire could've awakened much earlier, but he had been living off liquids without the essential ingredient that supplied his strength. This sadly weakened him, and the spell that had placed him in the deep sleep was not so easily fought.

During the desperate attempt to awaken the vampire, Akira had failed to notice that Mahiru's body had begun to glow. Her hand twitched and slowly moved to her throat. Her eyes opened, but they were not the normal blue orbs; they were completely drowned in a white light. She lifted her head and glanced around, drinking in the surrounding sites.

Sadly, this was not Mahiru. Mahiru was tucked away in the back of her mind in the middle of a dream she had had often in the past week.

She was in a sea of pillows of every shape, shade, and size, completely alone except for one other personage: Mitsuru. Sometimes they talked, sometimes they goofed around, and sometimes they just curled up next to each other. At the moment, she was watching him sleep and cooing over how cute he was.

As for her body, it was being controlled by someone she was vaguely familiar with.

The minister of the left's princess.

It was time to put a stop to all this.


	16. Chapter 16

_Chapter 16_

Neither Mitsuru nor Misoka knew Hokuto could wield a weapon, but they were quickly learning. Still, both were not helpless without their powers.

Hokuto's blade sliced through the air with a shrill whistle, coming within inches of Mitsuru's face, and he swore he saw a lock of his hair chopped off. Misoka rammed himself into Hokuto's back, dodging the sword as it swung around. Hokuto's vision blurred as a bout of wind blasted against him. Mitsuru's fist collided with the shaman's face. He stumbled back and slashed the sword blindly. He felt a hand weakly grab the back of his neck, wheel him around, and, in a moment of clarity, he saw Keiko punch him with enough force to knock him down.

Mitsuru and Misoka watched in shock as Hokuto hit the ground. Their gaze floated to Keiko. She was breathing harshly, her hair in a frazzled state, her fists clenched at her waist, and her wrists were cut and bleeding.

"I think we've been lied to," Misoka said, a hint of amusement showing through the layers of bitterness.

"What else is new?" Mitsuru growled.

Keiko bent down to check Hokuto. "I think he's out."

This proved false as Hokuto's hand gripped hers, and he flung her into the unsuspecting members of the Lunar race. He made a mad scramble for his blade. The instant he got a good hold on it, he whirled around to face them.

And suddenly everything stopped.

Both Mitsuru and Misoka (who's glasses had been knocked off when a human was hurled at him) were staring wide-eyed, their mouths open slightly in shock; Keiko was confused and slightly frightened; and Hokuto was in a similar state as the two members of the Lunar race.

Mahiru stood in front of the shaman, her arm stretched out and the white light surrounding her person. Her expression was that of determination and anger.

"Shaman," she said, her voice not her own, "Stop."

With that single word, he dropped the sword. Its clatter was the only noise heard.

"Who…what…" Hokuto stumbled over his words.

Mahiru ignored him. "Why do you harm these people?" she asked, "Why do you follow a lie that has tangled itself into a mass of hatred? Why do you deny a race its life? Leave, shaman, and do not harm these people any longer. More blood need not be spilt." (A/N: who else is hating this/raises hand/)

Hokuto took a slow step back. Giving the three behind her a disgusted glance, he turned and walked away.

Mahiru smiled and turned to face the members of the Lunar race. She knelt down in front of Misoka and took his hand.

"Princess," he stuttered, his mind beginning to work, "How did you-"

A white light surrounded his hand, and she pulled back, still smiling. "You have aided your people well. I thank you also for aiding me."

Without an explanation, she turned to Mitsuru. "I see him in your eyes. I thank you for all you have done." She grinned. "Take good care of her."

His brain was barely able to remind himself to breathe, much less think up a response.

The white light suddenly vanished from her body, and her eyes returned to their normal color. She swayed for a moment. "M-Mitsuru?" she whispered and collapsed into him. He caught her, immediately pressing her to his chest. He could feel her heartbeat thumping against his, and her soft breath played against his neck.

"She's alive," he said, turning to Misoka.

"Okay," Keiko interrupted, "What happened?"


	17. Chapter 17

_Chapter 17_

It was dark when Mahiru woke up. She blinked once or twice, wondering why she had woken up. Her eyes were still heavy with sleep, and all she felt like doing was curling up in the warm covers…

She shot up. She was in a bed-no, her bed. That meant they had returned to the Moonshine. She scrambled to untangle herself from her sheets, and her feet connected with something solid. That was followed by a small cry of, "Ow."

Yes, Mahiru had just kicked Misoka in the head.

He lurched forward and muttered something Mahiru could not make out.

"Misoka?" she called. She couldn't see in the dark.

"One moment, Princess," he said. Instantly, a light flickered on, and she could see.

She gazed around. "What happened? Where's everyone else?"

He smiled. "Everyone is fine. We are more worried about you."

Mahiru breathed a sigh of relief. Mitsuru was alright as were her other friends. "Did I black out?"

Misoka's expression faltered. "We can discuss what happened in the morning."

"What time is it?" she asked, her grogginess returning.

"Nearly one in the morning. You've slept for a day so far."

She'd been asleep for a day; no wonder Misoka seemed worried.

"Would you like me to awaken the others so they know you're alright?" he asked.

Mahiru shook hr head. "I don't want to wake them."

"Trust me, Princess, they are undoubtedly awake."

◦◦◦

Mitsuru, despite his lack of sleep, could not rest. His mind had focused itself on Mahiru: her death, her resurrection, and her words. Without her powers she baffled him, but when you throw in coming back from the dead and being possessed by her ancestor, you quickly learn that nothing about her is simple or easy.

The tengu, barely able to think straight had decided to go check on Mahiru and the fox demon. He knew if she did not wake up soon, they would all go crazy.

Lost in thought, he ran straight into Misoka (it seemed the fox demon's day for physical abuse.)

"Mitsuru, good," he said, standing, "I was just coming to get you. The princess has awakened."

The tengu blinked then shot up. He pushed past the fox demon (failing to notice the knowing smile) and nearly ran to Mahiru's room.

Before he even opened the door he was caught in a hug that would've topped Akira's in his transformation. Mitsuru wasted no time in returning it. They stood there for a moment, relishing each other's embrace when Mahiru finally pulled away.

"What happened?" she asked, her arms still around his waist, "I can't remember anything past that door thing. Where's Akira and Nozomu? Are they alright? Are you alright? How did we get back? Whe-"

He stopped her by pressing his lips against hers. They shared a long deep kiss before Mitsuru pulled back, giving her a genuine smile. "I'm just glad you're alright," he said.

She answered with a contented sigh. She opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted by something else.

"Don't think we should leave them alone together, eh Misoka?" a voice said from behind them.

"Quite."

"Don't know, Akira. They seem pretty cozy."

Both Mahiru and Mitsuru flushed and turned to face the three newcomers to the room.

"Perhaps we should leave them to them to their privacy," Misoka said, "We might be a distraction."

Mahiru giggled as Mitsuru began to argue with them. At least everything would be back to normal soon.

Whatever 'normal' was anyway.

**The End**


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